Flashing windmill toy

ABSTRACT

A flashing windmill toy comprises a non-metallic rotor ring seat attached by a coil and a stationary magnet erecting upright within the rotor ring seat. As the windmill is rotating, the magnet is fixed on a support shaft, and the rotor ring seat is co-rotating with the windmill, whereby current is induced in the coil thereon. The electricity sent out by the wires attached on the blades of the windmill is first rectified by a diode and then stored in nearby capacitors, which can light up a light emitting device.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to windmill toys, more particularly to aflashing windmill toy comprising a non-metallic rotor seat attached witha coil and a stationary magnet erecting upright within the rotor ringseat. As the windmill is rotating, the magnet is fixed on a supportshaft, and the rotor ring seat is co-rotating with the windmill, wherebycurrent is induced in the coil thereon. The electricity sent out by thewires attached on the blades of the windmill is first rectified by adiode and then stored in nearby capacitors, which can light up a lightemitting device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a flashing windmill toy of the prior art comprisesa windmill 1, being driven by wind power. It is a disadvantage that theconventional windmill toy cannot be displayed in night time. To be ableto see at nights, lights must be added. The lights must be lit up by anelectric power battery, which will either make the toy more complicatedand thus not practical or causes additional drag to the windmill 1. Theaddition of an electric power battery to a windmill toy will add up toomuch weight, which is only suitable to windmills of larger scale, not tosmall windmills. It is therefore significant to install a small, lightemitter to a windmill without using a battery. Other prior arts aboutthe windmill toy can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,248,082 and U.S. Pat.No. 4,782,431, but it is suitable for larger scale windmill, not forsmall windmill toy.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a flashingwindmill toy comprising a non-metallic rotor seat attached with a coiland a stationary magnet erecting upright within the rotor ring seat. Asthe windmill is rotating, the magnet is fixed on a support shaft, andthe rotor ring seat is co-rotating with the windmill, whereby current isinduced in the coil thereon.

The electricity sent out by the wires attached on the blades of thewindmill is first rectified by a diode and then stored in nearbycapacitors, which can light up a light emitting device.

The secondary objective of the present invention is to provide aflashing windmill toy whose blades are equipped with a light emittingdiode, a capacitor and a diode.

It is a further objective of the present invention that the front, andrear bolt seats are each provided with a through hole of hexagonal crosssection for retaining a hexagonal object.

Further, the wiring of the flashing windmill toy is attached onto theinner sides of the blade set and is co-coating with the windmill.

Further, the rotor ring seat of the flashing windmill toy is made of aplastic material that cannot be attracted by a magnet, whereby the ringseat will rotate around the stationary magnet.

The various objects and advantages of the present invention will be morereadily understood from the following detailed description when read inconjunction with the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a windmill toy of the prior art.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a flashing windmill toyaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates the circuitry of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates the coil configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates the assembly act 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates the assembly act 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates the assembly act 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the flashing windmill toy according tothe present invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates the use of the flashing windmill toy according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates another use of the flashing windmill toy accordingto the present invention.

FIG. 11 shows the arrangement of the circuit of the present invention.

FIG. 12 shows one embodiment of the present invention, where thewindmill toy rotates to display characters.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 9, a flashing windmill toy according to thepresent invention comprises a windmill blade set 2 that is a collectionof a blades 20, 21, a pair of illuminated components 3, 4 respectivelyattached to the blades 20, 21 and accompanied by diodes 31, 41 andelectric capacitors 30, 40, a rotor ring seat 5 co-rotating with theblade 21, a magnet 6 rotationally mounted within the rotor ring seat 5and a holding rod 7 fixed with the support shaft 54.

The two ends of the windmill blade set 2 are respectively attached by afront ring piece 22 and a rear ring piece 23; there are apertures 220,230 of hexagonal cross section respectively formed in the rear ringpiece 23 and the bolt seat 24. Thereby, a plastic screw 25 will be usedto secured a bolt seat 24 passing through the aperture 230 of the rearring piece 23, and a plastic screw 27 will be used to secured a boltseat 26 passing through the aperture 220 of the front ring piece 22. Thecross sectional areas of the bolt seat 24 and the bolt seat 26 take ahexagonal shape, whereby the apertures 220, 230 can be engaged.

The illuminated component 3 is inserted on a front edge of the blade 20and is electrically connected to the electric capacitor 30 and the diode31 on a rear edge of the blade 20. Conducting wires 32 are drawn fromeach of the electric capacitor 30 and the diode 31 to connect with thecoil 500. Since the conducting wire 32 is attached on to the inner wallof the blade 20, they will be co-rotating the rotor ring seat 5. Theilluminated component 4 is inserted on a front edge of the blade 21 andis electrically connected to the electric capacitor 40 and the diode 41on a rear edge of the blade 21. A conducting wire 42 is drawn from eachof the electric capacitor 40 and the diode 41 to connect with the coil500. Since the conducting wires 42 are attached on to the inner wall ofthe blade 21, they will be co-rotating the rotor ring seat 5.

The coil 500 is wound around an axial ring groove 50 of the rotor ringseat 5, whereas the rotor ring seat 5 is provided with a central ringaperture 51. The inner wall of the ring aperture 51 is provided with aleft aperture 510 and a right aperture 511 through two axle tubes 52, 53are inserted respectively.

The magnet 6 is mounted in the ring aperture 51, with a through hole 60therein facing the through holes 520, 530. The right terminal and theleft terminal of the through hole 60 are respectively provided with axlemats 61, 62 for being mounted within the ring aperture 51, whereby therotor ring seat 5 can rotate with respect to the magnet 6. A supportshaft 54 passes through a shaft stopping knob 55, the windmill blade set2, the rotor ring seat 5 and the magnet 6 and is then secured with astopping knob 28. The tail of the support shaft 54 goes through aaperture 70 of the holding rod 7 and fixed by glue therein.

Referring to FIG. 3, the coil 500 will be rotating with respect to themagnet 6, because the magnet 6 is mounted on the support shaft 54. Asthe blades 20, 21 are rotating, the plastic screw 25 and the bolt seat26 will lock the two sides of the rotor ring seat 5, and the conductingwires 32 and 42, attached with the blades 20, 21, will be co-rotatingwith the rotor ring seat 5. Because of electromagnetic induction, anelectric current will be induced in the coil 500. Due to its electricconnection to the conducting wires 32 and 42, the coil 500 will supply acurrent to the diodes 31, 41 through the conducting wires 32 and 42. Theother terminals of the conducting wires 32 and 42 are connected to theilluminated components 3, 4 and the associated electric capacitors 30,40. The present invention utilizes the electric capacitors 30, 40 tostore the energy generated within the coil 500, which electriccapacitors 30, 40 supply power to the illuminated components 3, 4 toachieve a effect of illumination. The blades 20, 21 can be added to morethan one set of illuminated components 3, 4 to enhance the brightness.

Referring to FIG. 10, the holding rod 7 of the present invention can beattached to the head portion of a bicycle 8 to allow the blades 20, 21to rotate being urged by the wind and thereby the continuous lighteningof the illuminated components 3, 4.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, the coil 500 of the rotor ring seat 5 iselectrically coupled to a bridge rectified diode 9. It is filtered andcharged by a capacitor 90 and is electrically coupled to an IC 91 so asto supply power to the IC 91. The IC 91 is further electrically coupledto the light emitting elements 92, 93, 94, 95, 96 and 97 so as tocontrol the illumination of the light emitting elements 92, 93, 94, 95,96 and 97. The light emitting elements 92, 93, 94, 95, 96 and 97 areplaced linearly in one of the blades 20, 21. When the blade set 2rotates, the IC 91 will control the light emitting elements 92, 93, 94,95, 96 and 97 to light up to display characters (HELLO in FIG. 12) andgraph.

The present invention is thus described, and it will be obvious that thesame may be varied in many ways. The present invention has the advantageof self-production of power and therefore can be used without a battery.Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spiritand scope of the present invention, and all such modifications as wouldbe obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included withinthe scope of the following claims.

1. A flashing windmill toy, comprising: a windmill blade set having aplurality of blades; an upper edge of a front side of one blade of theplurality of blades being installed with a first illuminated componentand a lower edge of another blade being installed with a secondilluminated components; each of the first and second illuminatedcomponents being connected to a capacitor and a diode at a backside of arespective diode; each of the first and second illuminated componentsbeing connected to a coil through a conductive wire; a coil wound aroundan axial ring groove of a rotor ring seat made of non-iron material, amagnet with N and S poles being placed within said axial ring groove andthus every single coil of coil device enclosing the magnet with the Sand N poles; whereby said coil will be induced with an electric currentthat will be rectified by said diodes and stored by said electriccapacitors; a pair of axle tubes mounted within said central ringaperture of said rotor ring seat; said axle tube being rotatable; themagnet locked by said axle tubes, said magnet being provided with axlemats on both ends for preventing a relative movement between said rotorring seat and said magnet; and a support shaft passing through a shaftstopping knob, said windmill blade set, said rotor ring seat and saidmagnet, said support shaft being secured with a stopping knob, a tailsection of said support shaft going through an aperture of a holding rodand being fixed by glue therein.
 2. The flashing windmill toy of claim 1wherein said windmill blade set drives said rotor ring seat to co-rotateby restricting said rotor ring seat on two sides using a pair of plasticscrews and bolt seats.
 3. The flashing windmill toy of claim 1 whereinconducting wires connected to the coil are attached onto said innersurfaces of said blades and therefore co-rotate with said rotor ringseat.
 4. The flashing windmill toy of claim 1 wherein said coil is anannular body wound around a groove formed on said rotor ring seat. 5.The flashing windmill toy of claim 1 wherein the brightness of saidilluminated components can be increased by paralleling other illuminatedcomponents.
 6. The flashing windmill toy of claim 1 wherein saidelectric capacitors are chargeable for prolonging the light emission ofsaid illuminated components.
 7. The flashing windmill toy of claim 1wherein peripheries of said bolt seats are respectively of hexagonalcross section for the insertion into said hexagonal through holes ofsaid blades.
 8. The flashing windmill toy of claim 1 wherein said rotorring seat is made of a selective plastic material.
 9. A flashingwindmill toy, comprising: a blade set; a plurality of light emittingelements which are arranged linearly; a coil wound around an annularseat of a rotor; the coil being electrically coupled to a bridgerectified diode; the capacitor being charged by a coil and iselectrically coupled to at IC so as to supply power to the IC; the IC isfurther electrically coupled to the light emitting elements so as tocontrol the illumination of the light emitting elements.
 10. Theflashing windmill toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the blade setrotates, the IC will control the light emitting elements to light up todisplay characters and graph.